Other News In Brief

Record Number Of Children Referred To Care

The number of children referred into care in England has hit a record high. Last month, local authorities made 903 court applications to take children into care - the highest since courts service Cafcass was set up in 2001. Numbers have been rising since late 2008 and the infamous Baby P case involving the death of a toddler while on the at-risk register in London.

Man Arrested Over ‘93 Theft

A former security guard wanted by police in connection with a £1m theft outside a bank in Suffolk 19 years ago has been arrested in the USA. Eddie Maher, 56, originally from Chelmsford, Essex, was arrested in the Ozarks, an area of central eastern US which includes Arkansas and Missouri. He vanished in January 1993 after the security van theft outside Lloyds Bank in Hamilton Road, Felixstowe.

Weather Warnings In Place For UK

Weather warnings for ice and snow are in place across Great Britain as the big freeze continues. It is understood that rain expected to fall across Scotland, Wales and the north and west of England may freeze the minute it hits surfaces. This ‘freezing rain’ has already caused nearly 100 accidents on Cumbrian roads today. Some 2-5cm of snow is expected to fall in parts of the Midlands later. The Met Office has issued an "amber" warning for the north of England, urging people to be prepared for widespread ice. "Yellow" warnings, telling people to be aware, are in place in a number of English, Welsh and Scottish regions.

(LB)